Sep. 1—As classes resume in the region's schools, a teacher should be in every classroom.

That wasn't always the case a year ago.

While local school districts continue to struggle to find applicants for many positions, leaders credit greater recruitment efforts and in Scranton, a new teacher's contract, in helping find teachers.

"I believe we are in a better place now than we were a year ago," Tim Wolff, Scranton human resources director, told school directors last week.

Schools nationwide struggle with shortages, offering bonuses, starting four-day work weeks and lowering requirements to try to find staff. Pennsylvania Department of Education data shows the number of newly certified teachers in the state continues to decline. During the 2021-22 school year, the state issued 6,153 new certificates — a 69% decrease from a decade ago and a 20% decrease from the year before.

"There are difficulties everywhere in the country," said Abington Heights Superintendent Christopher Shaffer, Ed.D.c "It will continue to be a challenge."

While the district still needs to hire a few paraprofessionals due to recent resignations, teaching positions are filled. Last year, Abington Heights began seeking applicants from a wider area and on different hiring sites. The district also began more networking efforts, Shaffer said.

Lakeland is also trying to "cast the broadest net possible," Superintendent Marc Wyandt, Ed.D., said. Every teacher vacancy is also sent to area colleges with education programs.

"The pool of available candidates is really, really small, if it exists at all in some area," he said.

Areas of particular difficulty this year include special education, math and science, superintendents said.

Hiring for support staff, including paraprofessionals and aides, cafeteria workers, custodians and bus drivers is ongoing but is not a major concern yet, leaders said.

In mid-August 2022, Scranton needed to hire 40 teachers. As of Aug. 25, the district only needed three teachers to fully staff classrooms when school opens Tuesday.

Wolff credited the early-bird teachers contract approved in November, after years of labor strife, in helping attract new teachers to the city. The district also had a more "aggressive approach" to advertising, including radio spots and social media posts, Wolff said.

"We're working on a plan to have a teacher in every classroom," he said.

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter.